c-diff questions

[mamac40]

Hi Tia,

My name is Marie and my 23 year old daughter has suffered for 3 years with all the symptons of c-diff.  Stool samples always came back negative, but she was given flagyl at least 12 times in the past 3 years and she at times semed like she was greatly improving only to have a relapse with diahrea, cramps, and blood and mucous in her stools.  After extensive tests for Crohn's, colitis, IBS, and c-diff, a positive c-diff test came back with only mild inflammation of the rectum(proctitus).  She ended up being put in the hospital for 6 days due to the dehydration and uncontrollable pain and cramping.  They put her on Vanco for 40 days along with an anti-inflammatory med for the proctitus.  She has 2 more weeks of vanco and we are seeing daily improvement.

Three days ago we went back to the specialists for a follow-up visit.  This doctor now says he is not sure if it was c-diff since he believes that anyone who had c-diff for the length of time she had been sick would have had a lot more damage to the colon, rectum,etc. and the colonoscopy revealed only mild inflammation in the rectum.

My God, we are so confused.   My daughter is feeling better with the treatment.  Actually the last 5 days she says she hasn't felt this good in years.  It is almost like this doctor doesn't want to admit she had c-diff or that my daughter is crazy.  So long as she is feeling better that is all that matters to me but after reading your post I was hoping you could tell me if you had a lot of damage due to the c-diff or not since you to were on flagyl before having to go to vanco.

Thanks for listening and I hope to hear from you.

mamac40


This discussion is related to finally tested negative for c. diff but still feeling symptoms.

[AnneHgrrrr]

This is so heartless - and blind. It would seem that ER is her only recourse, and it's not a perfect one. Then I would find another gastro specialist for consultation. Has your mother had a stool test for C Diff? My mother had diverticulitis and did not have that terrible pain and was able to eat. I know of a case locally where the man had C Diff as a result of chemo for cancer. Chemo can cause C Diff, as well as antibiotics.

AnneHgrrrr

[Myown]

PS. I forgot to mention that the stomach problems they attribute to diverticulitus, not cancer but this Oncologist knows my mother has bone pain and most people that I have spoken to do take the pain killers for bone pain, so the doc should not have had any reservations about calling in a script. She has been going to that practice for a couple of years, so its not  as if she is a new patient. And in reading all these posts on this forum I can't seem to find any posts that mention any meds that give relief  for diverticulitus.

If anyone that reads this post knows of any meds that helps with diverticulitus, please let me know.

mamac- I am glad to see that your daughter is feeling better. I know it must be very hard for you to see your daughter go thru all of that. Hopefully she will continue to feel even better as time goes on.  I hope you find lots of info and I hope you don't mind that I jumped into your thread because mine had nothing to do with what your daughter has/had but I felt your frustration and worry and that is what I felt related to in reading your thread.  

take care,
MO

[Myown]

I don't think any of these doctors know what they are doing at this point. In reading the posts on this forum, so many people are suffering with stomach pain and no one seems to find relief nor does it seem anyone receives a definite diagnoses of what they have.

My mother is in the worst pain right now that I have ever seen - its equal to when her appendix burst. That is how she is describing it. I don't know what to do at this point.

She is a cancer patient too and has bad bone pain, but she has been trying to avoid taking meds and the bone pain has been tolerable or at least for her. She is used to dealing with constant back pain her entire life, so she does have a high tolerance.

But as of late, it seems EVERYTHING she eats puts her into bad stomach pain. So bad now that we were up all night. We had to cancel her doc appointment because she can't even get dressed and thats even with my help. I explained to the nurse that until we get there we need a script of pain pills - ( which she has not had before as mentioned) and the nurse said well the doctor doesn't like to give them unless she sees the patient and discusses options! OMG are they kidding!  So I had the phone on speaker and my mother said,,,," I am 82 years old with breast, bone and liver cancer,,,what is the doctor afraid she might kill me???! - look at my chart, I have never had pain pills before."

So she said hold on let me speak to the doctor. She comes back and says no the doctor has to see you first!  I said look, my mother had to cancel the appointment.
We would have come in IF she wasn't in so much pain! She can't get dressed, do you understand me!!!???
This is unreal.  So she said I'm sorry this is what the doctor told me.  And to boot, they can't get her in until TUESDAY.

So here she is, she cannot eat, she is in terrible pain. She will not go to the hospital.
So as far as I am concerned, these doctors all stink.

But I will be going Tuesday this time with her instead of my sister. The doctor will have to hear my mouth now. We're at their mercy and they don't seem to have any.

[AnneHgrrrr]

I'm AnneHgrrrr. Four r's. I think. Expresses how I feel about this thing. Anymore would be unprintable! Still have not read much.

[AnneHgrrrr]

I have been fighting C Diff since last December of last year. Caused by antibiotics, especially clintomycin which my doctor perscribed for sinus infection. Ten days of Flagyl helped not at all. I landed in the hospital New Years Day in extreme pain, fever, and almost out of my head. Vancomycin added to Flagyl and released on vancomycin. Am presently "tapering" off Vanco nearly three months later and will be having another stool test. I hope it is gone, but I'm concerned about my colon.
Has anybody noticed very tiny red spots in stool? Not necessarily connected to diarrhea. My "gut" feeling is that they come from the lining of the colon and I'm concerned re damage.
I still can't eat properly and have lost a lot of strength. I'm eighty and was not strong to begin with.
Also, I'm prone to sinus infections. I don't get through a winter without at least one. What happens if I have to take an antibiotic again.
I also have cochlear implant without which I would be stone deaf. I don't know how much it's involved in infection, if any.
Just got here and have not figured out how to read archives. Some I managed to get to involve children. I feel for such a problem in one so young.
The best to all.
AnneHgrrr